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Friday, December 12, 2014

Decoden is a trend from Japan! The term "deco" is short for decorated and "den" is short for "denwa" meaning "phone" in Japanese. This craze has swept the crafting world!

My husband and I recently took a trip to Walt Disney World and that place is "Frozen" crazy. Olaf the snowman, Elsa, and Anna were everywhere! We had our picture taken with the Olaf outside Hollywood Studios -- I thought this would be a great jumping off point for my own project.

I had the pleasure of trying out DecoDen Bling from Signature Crafts (provided to me by the company) and I loved it! It's a dimensional paste that comes in these cool squeeze tubes and you apply it with decorative tips, just like you would use on a cake! The paste comes in 9 colors which makes it so versatile and it's nice and thick so it will hold any sort of bling you want to add to your project.

I started with a fun acrylic easel frame from Deflecto Crafts. I used the star tip and the white DecoDen Bling paste to go around the edge of the frame so that it looks almost like snowflakes. I then used the turquoise paste to add a little color to the "snowflakes". Finally, I added a glitter snowflake (that was an ornament until I snipped off the string!).

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

More than 30 years ago, my mom found a recipe in the newspaper for "Lee Greenwood's Favorite Dessert" (you know, the guy who sang "God Bless the USA"?).

God bless the USA... and this dessert!

It was so good that we have made it for Thanksgiving and Christmas every single year since. And even though it is so flippin' good, we only make it those two times each year -- it makes it more special that way!

I think most people call it "Chocolate Delight", but at our house, it will always be "Lee Greenwood".

So by popular demand, here's the recipe for Lee Greenwood!

I don't know how many this serves. Five, six, ten? It depends on how hungry you are. I make it for five people and there's about half leftover so I guess 10 folks or so.I also don't know any kind of nutritional information because when it comes to Lee Greenwood, I don't care if it has a jillion calories. But if you are watching your weight, you can always use fat-free/sugar-free instant pudding, low-fat milk, and reduced fat Cool Whip. In fact, this is how I make mine every year and it tastes just as good as the full fat kind

CRUST:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/3 cup chopped pecans

1 1/4 sticks of butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine ingredients. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan (I use the disposable aluminum kind so I can just toss it when the goodness is gone . Bake @ 325 degrees for about 13 minutes. Now I say "about" becuase here's the deal with the crust. It is a delicate thing. You don't want it too "done" or else your pecans will taste all burnt and nasty. You have to watch it very carefully Take it out of the oven when the top of the crust starts looking "dry". Seriously don't overcook it. Then cool the crust completely (like in your fridge) or else the next part won't work right.

Layer One:

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

12 oz. Cool Whip

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Mix well until blended. Then fold in the Cool Whip with a spoon or rubber spatula-thing. You have to fold in the Cool whip by hand because if you mix it in with a mixer, it messes it up. Don't ask me why, it just does. Spread mixture over cooled crust.

Layers Two and Three:

2 small boxes of chocolate instant pudding

2 small boxes of vanilla instant pudding

Make pudding according to "pie directions" on the box. That basically means you make each box with 1 1/3 cups of milk. Now the thing that is important about this is you have to make each box separately. Again, I don't know why, but it makes a difference in the taste. Hey, I don't argue with Lee Greenwood -- we've been making this for over 30 years. You make the chocolate pudding first, and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 3 minutes. When it just starts to set, pour it on top of the cream cheese/Cool whip layer. Repeat for the second batch of chocolate pudding. Then you make the vanilla pudding (again, one at a time) and put it on top of the chocolate layer. Then stick the whole thing in your fridge and let it get nice and cold. I usually make mine the night before: any recipe that has nuts in it has a better flavor the next day. That's it!

This dessert is so good that your tongue will jump out of your mouth and slap you upside the head. Seriously. I hope this becomes your favorite dessert too!

Oh, and if anyone knows Lee Greenwood, can you ask him if this really is his favorite?

Monday, November 24, 2014

Are you a procrastinator? I know I am and I always have been. Even as a kid, I would put off everything: homework, class projects, cleaning my room. I wish I could say I have changed since then, but nope -- I am still the worst about putting off until tomorrow what I should be doing today.

Sometimes in everyday life, this is OK. However, holidays are not a great time for procrastination. This is why I find myself fighting the crowds at the store at the last minute! So I am super-excited for this awesome ebook 30 Days to Christmas: Procrastinator's Edition excerpt from one of my favorite sites, ListPlanIt.

This is an eBook intended for anyone who has a hard time getting started early on Christmas planning (like me!) or just prefers to wait until the holiday season is in full swing. It includes a companion workbook containing 15 interactive lists that help you keep track of gifts, your holiday menu, craft projects, and more. It even has a list to help you keep track of your gift-wrapping supplies (Am I the only one who gets ready to wrap only to find that I am out of tape? I NEED this list!).

I am loving this book. It breaks down what normally could be daunting tasks into manageable days. But it's not just about things to do -- this book reminds you to slow down and enjoy the little things like watching a holiday movie or looking at holiday lights. It even makes time for charity which is what the season is all about!

But my favorite part have to be the lists. I am all about lists, and these are fab. I can keep track of my gift-giving budget, addresses for my card list, and my Christmas cookie ingredients list all in one place.

And right now, if you purchase this ebook, you can get 25% off a membership at ListPlanIt which is an amazing site. If you need lists to keep your life in order, you can find them at ListPlanIt!

Disclosure: This book was provided to me for free for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will receive a small commission.

Every year, I host Thanksgiving here at my house. Even though I am only cooking for 5 people, I make enough food for at least twice that so the saying "Gobble 'Til Ya Wobble" takes on real meaning this time of year!

I dressed up the first with some pretty ribbon from Webster's Pages and a cornucopia sticker that I mounted on chipboard.

On the second, I attached a little paper-pieced turkey on an embossed background and then put the whole thing on the chalkboard.

These easels are so cool -- the wooden legs are a beautiful wood and the chalkboard surface is a black plastic-like material that you can clean off with just water (which is great if you don't like your handwriting and you have to erase it a hundred times to make it look right... not that I would know anything about that). Those people at Deflecto are geniuses, I tell you!

I hope all of you have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Materials used:Deflecto chalkboard easels and chalk markers (provided by Deflecto)Ribbon by Webster's PagesAdhesive by ThermowebSticker unknownPaper piecing -- this pattern came from an online source but I don't know where! If you know the creator of this pattern, let me know so I can attribute it to him/her!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

My project this month for the Deflecto design team is something that we can all use in the upcoming holiday season - quick and easy card holders!

I love to display the Christmas cards we get from family and friends, but I am always at a loss as to how to show them off. When I saw the VersaGrip magnetic sign holders and angled sign holders, I knew that I could turn them into a holiday-rific solution!

The first sign holder I altered was the angled sign holder. They start out looking like this:

Photo: Deflecto.com

With just a small plastic snowflake ornament from Michaels and a couple of glue dots, it turns into a simple but cute card holder!

The other Deflecto product that I used was the VersaGrip magnetic sign holders.

Photo: Deflecto.com

On this holder, I added some tinsel and a piece of a vintage plastic floral spray (I adore vintage Christmas stuff!).

For a finishing touch, I made a "Merry Christmas" sign using Deflecto's chalkboard-look sign tags! These tags are so cool -- they can be cut to size and you can clean off the ink from the included pen with water.

I decorated the other holder with mini ornaments I picked up at Michaels and some clear tinsel.

I hope that these have inspired you! You can use so many different bits and baubles to turn these sign holders into a cool part of your holiday decor!

Materials used:

sign holders and sign tags - Deflecto

mini ornaments - Michaels

adhesive - Thermoweb

tinsel and vintage spray from my stash!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

October is one of my most favorite months of the year. The weather here in Georgia is always gorgeous this time of year and we can finally get out our cute fall clothes!

I also love October because fall festivals and craft shows are everywhere. Who can resist the call of handmade items (or more importantly, handmade food like funnel cake)? But the absolute BEST show out there comes to Stone Mountain at the end of the month -- the Country Living Fair!

Photo creidt: Aimee Herring and Country Living Magazine

The Country Living Fair is amazing! It has the best shopping EVER, with 200 vendors from 29+ states, a Harvest Market area of specialty foods, and the Country Living General Store. There are also seminars, how to’s, cooking demos and you can meet the editors of the magazine. You can find awesome antiques, vintage goods, handmade soaps, jewelry, furniture, re-purposed items... the list goes on and on. I can't even tell you how much cool stuff I have purchased at this show in the past few years!

The Country Living Fair is being held this year October 24-26 at Stone Mountain Park, and I am excited to announce that thanks to Explore Gwinnett, I am giving away a pair of tickets to the show!Just use the handy Rafflecopter entry form below to enter! I will draw the winner on Sunday, October 12.
Coming from out of town to attend the Country Living Fair? Be sure to check out Explore Gwinnett's extensive list of hotels to help you find a great place to stay!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

This post is highlighting products I received as a Deflecto USA Ammbassador design team member.

I am in love. Serious, big time love... with my new Deflecto USA organization supplies.

I have serious problems with organizing my craft room. Usually it looks like some sort of storm blew through. I have way too much stuff and not enough room to store it all. I have tried to get a handle on the chaos with tons of types of organization, especially with my small items. I have used jars (cute but not really practical if you have lots of stuff you want to organize in groups), plastic storage boxes (but where do you put all of those once you fill them?), binders, bags... you get the idea. I was never super happy with any of them.

But wait? What's this?

These are the new Craft Tilt Bins from Deflecto USA. They come with different numbers of bins (these are the 5 and 6 bin models) and they interlock so you can stack them! The other cool thing is that you can even mount them to the wall.

I placed mine right on my worktable so I can easily access the supplies I use the most, namely inks and adhesives... and snacks. Yep, one bin just for my scrappin' snacks.

And yes, while putting stuff in those bins, I realized I have a real problem with Colorbox Cat's Eye Chalk Inks. There should be a 12-step program. ColorBox, I can't quit you.

The bins tilt out for easy access to your goodies. Isn't that clever? Each bin also has a place for a little tag to identify what's in your bins, but I left those out in case I get crazy and switch things up on the fly. :)

But wait, there's more!

Deflecto also makes these Stackable Cube Organizers. They come in different configurations: here you see the open bin (holding my large scissors and ATG guns), the X bin (which holds pens beautifully), and the 4-drawer bin (where I keep small tools, glue pens, etc.). These fit nicely on the corner of my worktable.

And that's not all...

How awesome is this? This is the Carousel Rotating Organizer. It has six 3" canisters and 3 6" canisters, each with snap tight lids, and the whole thing is on a spinning base! It's great for storing embellishments, washi tape, tools, and more.

To learn more about these organization products and where to get them, head over to the Deflecto USA site. If you can't find these items in your area, ask your local craft, hobby, and office supply stores to stock them! Now go get organizing!

This is part one of my Deflecto USA Ambassador Design Team posts. Join me later in the week to see my project using Deflecto's magnetic craft sheets!Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions.

Monday, August 25, 2014

I am so excited to be a member of the very first Deflecto USA Ambassador Design Team!

Deflecto has always been in the business of items like office organization, chair mats, and literature displays. But now, they are venturing into the arts and crafts industry with cool acrylic frames, magnetic sheets, craft storage, and more!

For our first project, the team got to work with some of Deflecto's new acrylic frames. The frames come in tons of sizes, from 1 1/2" x 2" all the way up to 12 x 12. The frames also come in different types, including magnetic, stand-up, and hanging frames.

I was so excited to make something with these frames that I made TWO projects!

The first is a Disney countdown calendar. The best part of this calendar is that it's a dry erase calendar so you can easily change the days as your vacation gets closer. Dry erase markers work amazingly well on these frames!

I edged the sides with washi tape from Queen and Co. and the top and bottom with Queen and Co. ribbon. The interior of the frame is scrapbook paper embellished with letter stickers and a die-cut. Since the days are written in with a dry erase marker, you never have to move the paper inside the frame!

The second project is a Disney frame (featuring me and my wonderful husband on one of our Disney cruises). I started with a 6x9 black-edged frame and then embellished it with Plaid Mod Melts! (If you have never seen Mod Melts, check out my posts about them here and here.)

These Mod Melt letters are so fun to make and can be adhered easily with glue dots.

The balloons and the banner are also Mod Melts that I painted with acrylic paint, embellished with twine, and adhered with glue dots.

These Deflecto frames are so much fun to work with! You can use them for so much more than just picture frames too. For more awesome ideas, please go check out our design team Pinterest page!

First, I punched holes in the metal sheet with my Crop-A-Dile Big Bite. The metal is thin so punching was no problem. I then chose an ivory ribbon and put it through the holes, double-knotting it on the back, to make a hanger.

Then I got to work on the magnets. The buttons I used were actually found in the beading/jewelry section! They had a shank on the back so I cut those off with a shank remover.

By the way, if you don't have a shank remover, do yourself a favor and get one. I love using buttons on my scrapbook pages and other crafts, but I don't want the big shank on the back. This tool cuts them off easily.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

One of my favorite booths as CHA every year is the Plaid booth. They always have such fun products, especially in their Mod Podge line. Last year, they debuted their Mod Melts (which are AWESOME!), but this year, they really outdid themselves.

The new milk glass Mod Melts

This year, they introduced Mod Melts in a harder material with a milk glass finish (see photo above) and a Mod Melts melter (made especially for your Mod Melts -- no more using a glue gun). But by far, their hottest product was the new Collage Clay! This stuff is A-MAY-ZING! It comes in what looks like a cake decorating bag complete with a rosette-type tip. Just squeeze the bag and out comes this fun, puffy material that even looks like cake icing but it's a clay!

I covered the top of this little acrylic heart box with the Collage Clay in the pink color called "Strawberry". I then added some bling and a cupcake Mod Melt that I painted with acrylic paint. It's so easy -- just lightly press your embellishments into the Collage Clay.

Can you imagine the fun projects you can make with this? I would love to do a cell phone cover (which only takes about one-third of a bag of Collage Clay)!

The clay does take quite a while to cure so this is not a product that you can use when you need something finished right away. When it dries, it's not a completely hard; it still retains a slightly "squishy" feel to it, but it still holds tight to any embellishment you may have added to it.

I am fired up to see this product in stores! It will be a fun new item in my crafting arsenal!

Side Note: Thanks to watching my mom decorate cakes for 20 years, I actually did a really good job on the piping, but if you are new to using a piping bag and tip, you may have to practice the "kiss and release" method a few times to get rosettes like these.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

One of my favorite companies is We R Memory Keepers. I love their paper products and their tools are phenomenal. They have come up with some of the best tools on the market, including the Crop-a-Dile, the Envelope Punch Board, the Lucky 8 punches, and more. With all that in mind, I had to go to their booth at CHA2014 to see what sort of new fun things they have this year!

New wood die cuts -- the pictures don't do these justice. They are beautiful and you have to feel them to really know they are wood!

New "Jet Set" collection - we travel a lot so I really like this one!

New "Game Day" collection

Love the beautiful colors in the "Indian Summer" collection!

This year, We R Memory Keepers is also introducing new album and page kits. I love album kits, especially for gifts, so these made me happy.

Another new papercrafting item this year are the perpetual calendar kits (made to use with the Cinch binding machine).

Do you love your washi tape? We R has a new storage solution. They debuted the washi tape carousel last year, but this year they debuted the spindle so that you can connect two carousels!

New Sew Easy templates

LOVE the new bags!

With the success of the Envelope Punch Board, We R is now coming out with the Flower Board, the Gift Bag and Gift Box Boards, the Candy Box Board, and the Pillow Box Board.

And for you "pocket scrapbookers" out there, the coolest thing was the new storage system for journaling cards and sheet protectors.

It was great to see so many new products -- there were many more items that I didn't get pictures of! I can't wait to get my hands on some of these goodies!